This is why on-course ball testing is so important | Fully Equipped

On this week’s pod, I went in-depth on my on-course ball testing with Daniel Bladen of Callaway Golf. I learned a lot, shared a lot, and somehow walked away with more questions than I had going in. But first, let’s recap my chat with Johnny Wunder.

First, let’s start with a little bit of backstory, as I mentioned on the podcast. I’ve been a huge fan of the Wilson Staff Model X (2024) golf ball. I played it from the end of 2024 through the beginning of 2026, when I started testing the 2026 version. With the new model, I was told they’d lowered spin slightly in the long end of the bag while maintaining the 8-iron-and-down performance I loved — especially around the greens. On paper, and in indoor simulator testing, it sounded perfect. It would drop my driver spin from about 2600 rpms to 2300 rpms and flatten out the 5-iron a bit — great in theory. Until it wasn’t.

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That’s where my testing session with Daniel really changed things for me — and my golf bag.

It started at the end of last year when we visited Callaway Golf to test their new gear, including the 2026 Chrome Tour family of golf balls. One stop was Omni La Costa, where we did some on-course testing with the Callaway team, including Daniel. I was surprised by what we saw. At that point, I didn’t know Wilson would be releasing a 2026 ball, so I was still comparing everything to my 2024 Model X. Ball speeds were similar, flight windows looked similar, and overall performance was strong. We didn’t spend enough time side-by-side to justify a switch, but it definitely caught my attention.

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Fast forward a few weeks. After a rough performance at Battle at the Beach, I was frustrated and looking for answers. A couple of shots really stuck with me — in a bad way. Fortunately, just days later, I had the chance to work on-course with Daniel at The Yards during the Callaway Golf Ambassador shoot. This time, I brought the Wilson Staff Model X (2026) for a true head-to-head comparison.

What we found really came down to three key moments.

1.) The wiggle

We started by hitting hybrids and 5-woods—two of the most reliable clubs in my bag. If I’m testing variables, I want to eliminate as much doubt as possible. Early on, everything looked fine. Carry distances were similar between the Chrome Tour X (2026) [CTX] and the Wilson Staff Model X (2026) [WSX], but the Wilson was clearly rolling out more, with a noticeable drop in spin on the Foresight GC Quad.

Nothing alarming yet.

Then we moved to the last hole at The Yards to hit driver. It’s wide open (hard to lose a ball) which was perfect given my lack of confidence off the tee. The first few swings didn’t show much difference. Ball speeds and launch were nearly identical, with the Wilson again spinning a bit less.

Then on about the third WSX shot, we saw it.

A small “wiggle” at peak height.

Daniel spotted it first, and once you saw it, you couldn’t unsee it. We hit about five more balls with each, and while the launch monitor numbers stayed close, the ball flights started to look very different. We hit driver on a few more holes and saw the same thing. That little wiggle made the back half of the flight — especially the descent — unpredictable.

Which led us to the next moment.

2.) 8-iron predictability

There’s a par-3 at The Yards with a bunker in the middle of the green. That day, it was playing 167 yards. A perfect stock 8-iron for me. We had about a 10 mph wind in our face, but both balls are designed to handle that well. Slightly downhill too, which helped.

We wanted to see two things: would the wiggle show up with an 8-iron, and where would the balls land versus finish?

Sure enough, there it was again. The Wilson climbed to peak height, gave a little shimmy, and dropped. All the shots landed around pin-high, confirming solid wind performance, but all three Wilson shots ended up in the bunker, about six yards long. Not ideal.

The Chrome Tour X shots landed about 3 yards shorter but finished roughly a yard past the flag. No wiggle, just a clean, stable flight that held its line. That’s when the conversation shifted toward spin degradation during flight, but first, one more shot sealed it.

3.) The 5-wood tells all

My 5-wood is one of my favorite clubs right now. It’s reliable off the tee and a go-to into long par 5s, basically my safety blanket. It was also one of the few clubs that didn’t let me down at Battle at the Beach.

Off the tee, nothing seemed off. But we finished testing by hitting it off the deck — 245 yards into a strong left-to-right wind.

I hit three shots with each ball, alternating. The first two looked nearly identical early in flight, both slightly pushed right, with the wind neutralizing my usual draw. But at peak height, the Wilson wiggled and then fell hard to the right. The Callaway reached its peak, interacted with the wind, and then descended straight.

I adjusted my aim left and hit both again. Same story. Similar launch, similar speed, but the Wilson drifted right and came in hotter. The Callaway held its structure and fell straight again.

When we got to the green, the difference was obvious. The Wilson had actually carried past the flag, but ended up on the back of the green, about 40 feet away. Roughly a 10–12 yard rollout. The Callaway carried just over the bunker and stopped about two yards past the pin, with maybe six yards of rollout.

That’s when Daniel really broke it down.

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Spin degradation through the course of the golf ball’s flight

The key concept Daniel explained was that a golf ball loses spin and speed throughout its flight, especially in the first half as it climbs to peak height. There’s roughly an eight-yard window at the top of the flight that determines how the ball finishes.

For me, the lower top-end spin of the new Wilson was the issue. I wasn’t launching it with enough spin, so by the time it reached peak height, it was essentially out of backspin. That’s what caused the visible “wiggle.” It’s also why the ball wasn’t stopping on greens.

Rolling out a 5-wood from 245 yards is one thing, but an 8-iron from 167 into the wind? That’s a problem.

It also explained two frustrating shots from Battle at the Beach.

Twice, I had 115 yards into the wind, a comfortable, stress-free 56-degree pitch. A shot I’ve hit a thousand times. Both times, downwind, both shots came up short. I was furious, and so was my partner.

Turns out, the ball wasn’t spinning enough. The wind was getting over the top of it and pushing it down, instead of the ball having enough spin for the wind to work underneath it. The same reason those 8-irons ended up in the bunker.

So, is the Wilson ball bad? No. Not at all. It’s just not right for me.

Since this test, I’ve gone back and re-tested everything — Wilson, Callaway, and others. I even revisited the Wilson Staff Model X (2024). That ball didn’t show the same issues. In fact, it performed almost identically to the Chrome Tour X (2026), which explains why I wasn’t initially sold on switching at La Costa.

Unfortunately, the updated spin and aerodynamics of the 2026 Model X took away what worked for me. I already sit on the low-spin edge, so I need as much spin and height as I can get. That’s where I’m comfortable. The moment I lose spin, things unravel quickly. I’m basically Tiger Woods in that sense.

I’d still absolutely recommend testing the Wilson Staff Model and Model X. For mid-spin players looking to add a bit of short-game spin while maintaining speed and flight off the top end, it’s an excellent, durable golf ball.

For me? The search is on. Right now, the Chrome Tour X (2026) is leading in the clubhouse, but it’s got a real fight on its hands.

To hear the entire story and listen to Johnny and I talk about AI fittings, listen to the full podcast on Spotify, or watch below.

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